The Negative Thought Spiral

How to stop the vicious cycle going on and on...

Dear mental health advocate,

You’ve probably been there. Having a brain that seems to be out of control and taking your thoughts for a spin in a never-ending rollercoaster. It can make you ruminate and process events in a way that destroys your mental health. Don’t worry, it is pretty common. We all are privy to negative thoughts and the possibility to spiral. In today’s premium article of The Present Psychologist Paper I want to dive deeper into this psychological vicious circle that can have disastrous effects on your life. I will explain how these spirals begin, what they look like and how they ultimately can be handled by you.

So imagine this. You wake up feeling okay-ish—nothing special, but certainly no bad emotions or thoughts—and then, boom, something happens that throws you off (in psychology we call this a trigger). Maybe your boss sends you a cryptic email (you can probably imagine the anxiety, I definitely had this happen), a friend cancels plans last minute (something you were really looking forward to), or you spill coffee on your favorite shirt (what if you wanted to wear it to a date!). In the grand scheme of your life it is minor, really, but before you know it, your mind launches into a full-blown dramatic though mode, spiraling downward faster than you can say, ‘why?’ Well, I hate to break it to you, but this is what we call the infamous ‘negative thought spiral’.

The Negative Thought Spiral - Explained

As a psychologist who’s definitely not been immune to these spirals myself, let me take you on a guided and detailed tour through the anatomy of a negative spiral—and, more importantly, how to deal with one before it takes over your whole day (or week, month, year…). If you don’t actively work on breaking the cycle, you can suffer from a lot of sleepless nights.

Step 1: The Baseline – Everything seems okay

You’re cruising along at your usual baseline mood. Maybe slightly tired, possibly a little bored, but nothing catastrophic. Life is, in essence, fine. This baseline is deceptive because when we’re here, we are actually quite vulnerable. We aren’t actively expecting anything bad, which means that at this point we are unprepared for negativity to swoop in. Understanding and acknowledging your baseline can help you prepare for future triggers.

Step 2: Trigger Event – Cue the drama